Greg Maletic
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My Personal "Best" List
After presenting the previous lists with at least an attempt at impartiality, I'll conclude with my list--the list of my favorite attractions at the Disney parks.

1. It's A Small World
Disney's most maligned attraction is my favorite; it's like falling inside a beautiful children's book. I like every park's version, but I'll give Disney World's the lowest marks for not implementing an exterior boarding area and the beautiful facade that characterizes every other installation.

2. Tom Sawyer Island
I'll give this a top spot because Tom Sawyer Island, for me, defines what makes a Disney park unique. Completely segregated from the rest of the park, this is an attraction that has no lines, is completely self-exploratory, and makes me feel as happy as anything else that I do when I visit one of the Magic Kingdoms. Honorable mention goes to Disneyland Paris's Adventure Island. It doesn't manage to capture the same spirit as the Tom Sawyer Islands in the U.S., but it is tremendous. Its huge Skull Rock and spectacular caves make it a completely remarkable experience. But the fact that you don't need a boat to reach it (you can simply cross a bridge) diminishes the experience.

3. The Haunted Mansion
I'll give the award here to Disney World's spectacular rendition of this attraction. The beautiful "House of Usher" exterior, the longer ride with its Portrait Hall and ghostly piano player...it's the best, despite the fact that the narration inexplicably disappears after passing through the conservatory until you leave Madame Leota's séance. My least favorite version of the ride--Disneyland Paris's version--has a horrible operatic score. And you would have thought that strengthening the storyline would have made the attraction better. Not so--give me back the disconnected vignettes of the U.S. installations any day!

4. Space Mountain
With the exception of Tokyo Disneyland's copy, the other three parks rendition of this attraction are wildly different. Disney World's is the original, and its lengthy, eerie queue and dramatic ascent up the first hill make it special. Disneyland's second-generation implementation, opening just a couple of years later, has a single track, but perhaps a more thrilling, "bobsled"-like ride. Disneyland Paris's is the most spectacular both on the exterior and the interior, with its Jules Verne-inspired design, three loops, and accelerated launch.

5. Pirates of the Caribbean
Each Pirates, save Tokyo Disneyland's almost direct clone of Disneyland's, has something unique to offer. Disneyland's is the original, and is perhaps the longest. Disney World's has the unbelievable queuing area through an enormous Spanish fort. I'll give the nod to Disneyland Paris, however, for taking the best of both attractions and combining them together. It's got its own Blue Bayou restaurant, an incredible queue, better set layout, and a more logical story ordering that warns guests of the pirates' ultimate fate at the end of the ride rather than the beginning.

6. Roger Rabbit's Car-Toon Spin
The ultimate Fantasyland-style dark ride, even though it's not in Fantasyland. "Inspired" is the best way to describe this attraction. I rode it for the first time just hours after my initial experience on Indiana Jones, and despite how much Indy impressed me, this attraction captured my imagination even more than the big budget attraction did. Whoever developed this attraction clearly loved it.